Publishing Scotland Takes Scottish Books To The World

28 March 2017

PRESS RELEASE

Publishing Scotland kicks off their Spring/Summer 2017 programme by taking Scottish books to the world. Initiatives include the International Publishing Fellowship, now in its third year, which will see leading industry figures develop relationships with the Scottish sector. The programme also comprises Translation Residencies at Cove Park, funding for Scottish publishers to participate in key festivals and book fairs overseas including the Sydney Writers' Festival, and the New Books Scotland Spring/Summer 2017 publication produced to showcase the energy and dynamism of the current scene.

Marion Sinclair, Chief Executive of Publishing Scotland, highlights the importance of internationalisation today: 'It is more important than ever to be outward-facing and open to the world. This range of initiatives - from the Fellowship to the Go See Fund, Translation Residencies and New Books Scotland - are all designed to move Scottish publishers into the international arena and be of real, practical help to them in reaching a worldwide audience.'

Ten senior industry figures from the USA, South America, Canada, Europe and Australia have accepted Fellowship invitations to visit Scotland in August 2017 to meet publishers, agents and writers in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness. Stephen Morrison, Publisher and Vice President of Picador USA, recalls his experience as a 2016 International Fellow: 'The Publishing Scotland Fellowship is a brilliant initiative created and run by Publishing Scotland and one that I think will become one of the most sought after invitations for people from around the world working in publishing. Incredibly well organised and warmly hosted by a wonderful team, the Fellowship was a fascinating introduction to Scotland, its authors, agents and  publishers, both large and small, and to its lively creative community. I cannot recommend the Fellowship highly enough.'

In addition to the Fellowship, as part of the most recent round of Publishing Scotland's Go See Fund, three publishers - Acair, Canongate Books and Bright Red Publishing - have received support to attend the Bologna Children's Book Fair in April. Adrian Searle of Freight Books will attend the Sydney Writers' Festival in May. Cove Park in Argyll and Bute, in partnership with Publishing Scotland, will host three translators for a four-week residency. The publication of New Books Scotland Spring/Summer 2017, created in partnership with Creative Scotland and launched in March, highlights the best new books and authors to look out for in the first half of this year. Aly Barr, Acting Head of Literature, Languages and Publishing at Creative Scotland commented: 'Following on from the recommendations in 2015's Literature Sector Review, Publishing Scotland's programme is an ambitious and outward looking series of initiatives based on strong partnerships. The design team at Creative Scotland worked closely with Publishing Scotland to produce a guide to Scottish books that's informative, up to date and - above all - a great read. Scottish Development International, Cove Park and numerous international partners are helping position Scottish publishing and writing as a dynamic industry that's open for business and has stories to share.'

Harnessing the wealth of publishing and writerly talent in Scotland, these varied initiatives will promote, and further, Scotland's reputation as a significant destination on the worldwide cultural map.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

International Fellowship Programme 2017

Now in its third year, the Fellows for Publishing Scotland's International Publishing Fellowship are:

• Jackie Cantor, Senior Editor, Gallery Books/Simon and Schuster, USA
• Melanie Tortoroli, Editor, Viking/Penguin Random House, USA
• Alana Wilcox, Editorial Director, Coach House Books, Canada
• Jane Palfreyman, Publisher, Allen & Unwin, Australia
• Kristina Arnold, Senior Fiction Editor, DTV, Germany
• Nina Grabe, Acquiring Editor, Rowohlt Verlag, Germany
• Bénédicte Lombardo, Senior Acquisitions Editor, Éditions Michel Lafon, France
• Ana Laura Caruso, Editor, Penguin Random House, Argentina, South America
• Aleksi Siltala, Publisher, Siltala Publishing, Finland
• Andrzej Zysk, Head of Rights, Zysk Publishing, Poland

Planned to coincide with the Edinburgh International Book Festival and following on from the success of the past two years' programmes, this inward trade mission is supported by funding from Creative Scotland, Scottish Development International and Emergents. The Fellows will take part in a varied programme of events from 21-27 August 2017 to help develop relationships between the international publishing community and the Scottish sector, facilitate rights selling and bring Scottish books to an international audience. The 2017 Fellowship programme will take place in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness. An itinerary is available upon request.

Go-See Fund

The Go-See Fund enables Scottish-based publishers to attend national and international book trade fairs and festivals for the first time, and is administered by Publishing Scotland with the financial support of Creative Scotland.

• Acair (Stornoway) will attend the Bologna Children's Book Fair
• Canongate Books (Edinburgh) will attend Bologna Children's Book Fair
• Bright Red Publishing (Edinburgh) will attend Bologna Children's Book Fair
• Cranachan Publishing (Stornoway) attended London Book Fair
• BHP Comics (Glasgow) attended London Book Fair
• 404 Ink (Edinburgh) attended London Book Fair

Translation Residences

Cove Park is delighted to announce its Translation Programme, in partnership with Publishing Scotland, which this year will welcome three translators for a four-week residency. The programme is designed to develop their practice and also boost the profile of literary translation. Cove Park, based in Argyll and Bute, offers an annual programme of residencies for the arts and creative industries. The translators are:

• Maïca Sanconie, France
• Andy Jelcic, Croatia
• Laura Maniero, Italy

New Books Scotland Spring/Summer 2017

New Books Scotland, created in partnership with Creative Scotland, was produced for distribution at international book fairs and key Scottish festivals and events. Catalogue-style listings of titles across fiction, non-fiction, children's and young adult are featured alongside book reviews by David Robinson, the former Literary Editor of the Scotsman. An exclusive article by Edinburgh-based debut novelist Kaite Welsh and a profile of Floris Books, the current Saltire Society Scottish Publisher of the Year, are also highlighted.

You can read New Books Scotland Spring/Summer 2017 online here.

Publishing Scotland

Publishing Scotland, now in its 43rd year, is the trade, network and development organisation for the book publishing industry. It is a membership organisation with over 100 members across Scotland, from large companies such as Harper Collins and Canongate to small publishing houses, societies, and freelance workers. It also owns Books from Scotland, the largest curated collection of Scottish books online.

Publishing Scotland and the Booksellers Association of the UK and Ireland are hosting a Scottish Book Trade Parliament Reception, sponsored by Joan McAlpine MSP, on Wednesday 19 April at the Scottish Parliament. The reception will showcase the literary, educational and business highlights of Scotland's publishers and booksellers.

For more information please contact:

Marion Sinclair, Chief Executive: marion@publishingscotland.org

Emma Findlow, Programme Coordinator: emma.findlow@publishingscotland.org

Gill Tasker, Book Marketing Manager: gill.tasker@publishingscotland.org